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Reaching Out

I know that Stephen Garber knows people. The president of Third Level is a seasoned expert on change management, relationship building and quality-of-life issues. He is an international executive coach, mediator, trainer and public speaker. Stephen coaches individuals, teams and organizations to replace conflict and dysfunction with effective communication and functional relationships, causing increased profitability and productivity.

That’s his professional profile. What I know about Stephen, through his long association with SFBW, is his kindness and emotional intelligence, his ability to guide people toward self-awareness to make them better coworkers and friends to each other. And his ability to read people and situations is peerless. I told Stephen that during the pandemic, something I’ve done with family and friends is FaceTime while I’m riding my bike around South Beach. Instead of saying, watch my bike ride, I say, take a bike ride with me. And Stephen suggested that I ask to take a bike ride with them. He always knows how to elevate connection to the next level, as the name of his company suggests. What follows are insights that Stephen had as the holidays—with all their uncertainty and emotional temperature—approached. Drew Limsky

 

At this time of COVID-19, given how hard it is to know how to connect, even with family, we have to be as empathetic and understanding as possible, particularly as we know that the holidays can be the most stressful and emotionally devastating time of the year. There’s all kinds of data showing that depression, suicides and domestic violence are higher than at any other time of the year. This reality is so counterintuitive to the whole Hallmark picture of Christmas and New Year’s. We’re made to believe that if we don’t have that, there’s something wrong with us.

So how do we connect differently and listen differently? What holidays used to look like are not what they look like now. How do you do tradition without the tradition? Families are being torn apart by COVID-19 and politics. But there are ways to mitigate this. Forgive yourself. Be resourceful, and try not to judge. Last spring, for Passover, we ended up on an extended family Zoom Seder that was hilariously inept and wonderfully warm. What is your version of this? Maybe it’s about sharing the self instead of sharing stuff. Children can ask their parents and grandparents about their stories. Often this happens at funerals; stories spill out. Don’t wait for a funeral. And anyone can ask a loved one about the best day of their life, or what Christmas was like when they were kids.

Think about the power of a hug. How do we hug in today’s world? How do we be honest and compassionate? We have to be kinder in our electronic communications. No one wants to be the first person to say they feel isolated, they feel lonely. You don’t want to make the other person responsible for fixing it. So you can say, I just want you to know I feel this way, because I love you and I know you love me.

If you’re doing what you did emotionally before March, perhaps you’re not doing enough. How can we psychically transfer pheromones? A book I read maybe 20 years ago that validated what I do is called Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert. The National Institutes of Health actually did a study where they demonstrated that emotions have molecules. Though we can’t hug physically or virtually, we can still say, I can’t believe I don’t get to hug you. I wish I could hug you now. Revealing yourself may be more valuable than any tangible gift.

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Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.